NCAA Tournament Game Capsules

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) – Glen Davis recorded 26 points, Tyrus Thomas
scored 21 along with 13 rebounds and Louisiana State advanced to its first
Final Four in 20 years with a 70-60 overtime victory over Texas in the
championship game of the Atlanta Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Davis added
nine rebounds and a daunting interior presence on both ends of the floor
to lead the fourth-seeded Tigers (27-8) to their first national
semifinal since LSU made it as a No. 11 seed in 1986. Led by the burly Davis
and the high-flying Thomas, LSU’s defense stymied the Longhorns all night
long. Texas shot 30 percent from the field for the game and received
little offense from the inside. Longhorns’ standout center LaMarcus Aldridge
finished with just four points on 2-of-14 shooting and the Longhorns were
outscored 38-10 by the Tigers in the paint. Daniel Gibson led second-seeded
Texas (30-7), which was attempting to reach the Final Four for the second
time in four years, with 15 points. Brad Buckman contributed 13 points and 14
rebounds. Gibson sent the game into extra minutes with a clutch three-pointer
with 32.1 seconds in regulation that tied things at 52-52.

Final Score: UCLA 50, Memphis 45

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Arron Afflalo scored 15 points and UCLA
continued its smothering defensive play to earn a trip to the Final Four with
a 50-45 victory over Memphis in the Oakland Regional final of the NCAA
Tournament. Ryan Hollins compiled 14 points and nine rebounds for the Bruins
(31-6), who advanced to the Final Four for the first time since their
national championship season of 1994-95. But the real reason for UCLA’s 11th
consecutive victory came on the defensive end. The second-seeded Bruins
completely shut down a Memphis squad averaging more than 80 points per game.
The Tigers shot a meager 31.5 percent from the floor, committed 18 turnovers
and never established any rhythm all game long. The Bruins will meet
LSU, which knocked off Texas in overtime in the Atlanta bracket championship,
next Saturday at Indianapolis in the national semifinal. Memphis senior Rodney
Carney, the Conference USA Player of the Year, was held to just five points on
2-of-12 shooting. On offense, UCLA continually attacked the basket, leading
to 39 free-throw attempts. Unfortunately the Bruins made just 20 of them,
which allowed Memphis (33-4) to remain within striking distance until the end.
Darius Washington Jr. netted 13 points for the top-seeded Tigers, who were
striving for their first Final Four since 1985.